Local HIV/AIDS program awarded HRSA grant

The US Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has issued a notice of grant award in the amount of $51,979 for the local Department of Health’s HIV/AIDS program.

The grant is offered annually, with this specific one covering the budget period from April 1, 2007 to March 31, 2008.

HIV/AIDS program manager Fara Utu said that the grant award was issued following the acceptance of their submitted application. “It’s an annual thing that we have to apply for,” she explained.

This particular grant is from the Title II program which is intended for use on the care and treatment of individuals with HIV/AIDS.

When asked if this was the first time that the HIV/AIDS program had received this grant, Utu explained, “We’ve had this for quite a while now, and when we heard the announcement that the grant was up for grabs, we applied for it.”

The HRSA Title II grant applies to a project period from April 1, 2001 through March 31, 2008.

According to Utu, their program is the only one under the umbrella of DOH that operates with the assistance of three grants.

The main grant is for prevention, the second for surveillance, and the third is for care and treatment, which is the Title II grant.

Altogether, the HIV/AIDS program employs five people, including Utu who encourages everyone to get tested for the disease.

All tests are confidential and are conducted on a walk-in basis from 7:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. during the weekdays.

“Testing is free because it’s paid for by the program,” Utu said. “All testing is confidential and results cannot be given out over the phone.”

Only Utu and one other person from her staff, a certified health educator, have access to test results, making them the only two who can share the results with individuals who are tested.

The first two individuals to ever test positive for HIV/AIDS in the territory were diagnosed back in 2001. Since then not a single person has tested positive.

“We need to get more people in to get tested in order for us to say we’re safe,” Utu said. This year alone, approximately 1,321 people have been tested for HIV/AIDS.

“This number is just a percentage of the population which is about 65,000,” Utu said, adding that testing isn’t the only service they provide, as they can also provide medications, care and treatment for individuals who test positive.

More information on the HIV/AIDS program can be obtained by calling Utu and the gang at 633-2437 or stop by their office in Fagaalu.